The Chamber is proud of its role protecting your business’ bottom line by advocating on your behalf to create the best possible economic climate at the local, state and federal levels.

The most exciting results of the survey are related to job growth. Eighty-three percent responded that their firm hired and/or added new positions in the last 12 months—this is an increase from 77 percent last year.

Nearly 56 percent noted that their firm had difficulty finding qualified applicants, and as a result, of those that responded job growth, 34 percent increased wages to attract more qualified talent.

“We are very excited to see such a high percentage of members reporting job creation at their workplace,” said Rick Baker, President and CEO of the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce. “The difficulty of finding qualified candidates highlights the need to continue focusing on building a talented workforce through education and training.”

The rising cost of health care was cited as the top concern for members heading into 2015 for the third year in a row.

“The rising cost of health care and other health care policy issues were clearly the most important areas of concern for our members,” said Andy Johnston, Vice President of Government & Corporate Affairs. “We will continue to advocate on behalf of our members to address this and the talent and workforce development challenges that face West Michigan businesses.”

Many of the survey’s top results tie into what is expected to be discussed at the local and state levels in the next year, such as: